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Summit via Everett Collection
You can imagine that Renny Harlin, director and one quadrant of the writing team for The Legend of Hercules, began his pitch as such: We'll start with a war, because lots of these things start with wars. It feels like this was the principal maxim behind a good deal of the creative choices in this latest update of the Ancient Greek myth. There are always horse riding scenes. There are generally arena battles. There are CGI lions, when you can afford 'em. Oh, and you've got to have a romantic couple canoodling at the base of a waterfall. Weaving them all together cohesively would be a waste of time — just let the common threads take form in a remarkably shouldered Kellan Lutz and action sequences that transubstantiate abjectly to and fro slow-motion.
But pervading through Lutz's shirtless smirks and accent continuity that calls envy from Johnny Depp's Alice in Wonderland performance is the obtrusive lack of thought that went into this picture. A proverbial grab bag of "the basics" of the classic epic genre, The Legend of Hercules boasts familiarity over originality. So much so that the filmmakers didn't stop at Hercules mythology... they barely started with it, in fact. There's more Jesus Christ in the character than there is the Ancient Greek demigod, with no lack of Gladiator to keep things moreover relevant. But even more outrageous than the void of imagination in the construct of Hercules' world is its script — a piece so comically dim, thin, and idiotic that you will laugh. So we can't exactly say this is a totally joyless time at the movies.
Summit via Everett Collection
Surrounding Hercules, a character whose arc takes him from being a nice enough strong dude to a nice enough strong dude who kills people and finally owns up to his fate — "Okay, fine, yes, I guess I'm a god" — are a legion of characters whose makeup and motivations are instituted in their opening scenes and never change thereafter. His de facto stepdad, the teeth-baring King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins), despises the boy for being a living tribute to his supernatural cuckolding; his half-brother Iphicles (Liam Garrigan) is the archetypical scheming, neutered, jealous brother figure right down to the facial scar. The dialogue this family of mongoloids tosses around is stunningly brainless, ditto their character beats. Hercules can't understand how a mystical stranger knows his identity, even though he just moments ago exited a packed coliseum chanting his name. Iphicles defies villainy and menace when he threatens his betrothed Hebe (Gaia Weiss), long in love with Hercules, with the terrible fate of "accepting [him] and loving [their] children equally!" And the dad... jeez, that guy must really be proud of his teeth.
With no artistic feat successfully accomplished (or even braved, really) by this movie, we can at the very least call it inoffensive. There is nothing in The Legend of Hercules with which to take issue beyond its dismal intellect, and in a genre especially prone to regressive activity, this is a noteworthy triumph. But you might not have enough energy by the end to award The Legend of Hercules with this superlative. Either because you'll have laughed yourself into a coma at the film's idiocy, or because you'll have lost all strength trying to fend it off.
1/5
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With The Hunger Games: Catching Fire being released today, there is no better time to check out all the amazing films this talented cast has previous appeared in, including the first Hunger Games . Luckily, it's now easier than ever to watch these movies instantly! With Redbox Instant by Verizon, members can enjoy all the instant streaming they can handle as well as four DVD Redbox kiosk rentals per month, and the best part? The first month is free. So, in honor of Catching Fire and Redbox, we've compiled a list of films available that all you Hunger Games fans must see.
Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen)Silver Linings Playbook (kiosk)– Check out the role that won Lawrence her first Oscar! In Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence brings out her funny, kooky, and super talented side when she takes on the role of Tiffany, a young woman grieving the recent death of her husband. When Tiffany meets Pat (Bradley Cooper) they duo find ways to help each other overcome their mental, physical, and emotional ailments, typically to the delight of audiences as Cooper and Lawrence are hilariously sweet in this must see film.
Like Crazy (streaming)– Before Lawrence moved into the blockbuster arena, she started out with roles in indie films such as this critically acclaimed gem. In Like Crazy, Lawrence plays Sam, the breezy on and off girlfriend of Jacob (Anton Yelchin), an introspective man who is struggling to decided if he should stay in his long-distance relationship.
Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne)Empire State (kiosk)– Between filming The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, Hemsworth took on the role of Chris in Empire State. Based on a true story, the film follows Chris and his best friend Eddie (Michael Angarano) as they rob an armored truck, and the trouble they get in when a veteran NYPD detective (Dwayne Johnson) becomes suspicious of them.
The Expendables 2 (streaming)– In this big-budget Hollywood blockbuster, Hemsworth takes on the role of Billy the Kid, an ex-military sniper who joins Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Jason Statham's characters on their quest for revenge.
Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark)Epic (kiosk)– In this delightful animated film, Hutcherson voices Nod, a rookie warrior who falls in love with the main character, M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) on her journey through the Bomba forest.
Fragments (streaming)– A unique ensamble drama, the film centers on a group of strangers who form a bond after they all survive a random diner shooting. A young Hutcherson takes on the role of Jimmy Jaspersen, a boy who is present during the shooting and becomes reclusive after seeing a man die.
Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket)The 40 Year Old Virgin (kiosk)– In this hit comedy, Steve Carell stars as Andy, a 40 year old man who has never had sex. When he meets Banks' character Beth, Andy tries to seduce her with hilarious and awkward outcomes.
What to Expect When You're Expecting (streaming)– This comedic film adaption of the best-selling pregnancy guide follows many different women who face the typical pitfalls the come with having babies. Banks plays Wendy, a woman who has tried to get pregnant for years, and when she finally does, absolutely hates all the painful, gross, and unexpected things that happen when you're nurturing a baby.
Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy)
Seven Psychopaths (at kiosk)– In this British comedy, Harrelson plays Charlie Costello a.k.a. Psychopath No. 3, who is basically the bad guy in a film about bad guys. However, this film is exceptional due to the wonderful cast and Harrelson's typical sarcastic wit.
Rampart (at kiosk)– In this drama, Harrelson takes on the role of David Brown, a dirty LAPD veteran who must face the consequences of his professionally inappropriate actions that have caused trouble for his department and his family.
Donald Sutherland (President Snow)Panic (streaming)– This eerie film focuses on Alex (William H. Macy), a hit-man who is slowly becoming uncomfortable with his line of work. As a result, he begins attending therapy where Alex discovers the his traumatic childhood relationship wit his father (Sutherland), a dominating and threatening man who steered Alex into the "family business."
Fierce People (streaming)– In this quirky drama, Sutherland plays an aging billionaire who introduces a young man into the life of the ultra-rich, and shows him just how steep a price it costs to live in the upper-crust world.
Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman)Jack the Giant Slayer (kiosk)– Based on the English fairytales "Jack the Giant Killer" and "Jack and the Beanstalk," the film follows Jack, a young farmhand that must save the kingdom's Princess after he accidentally opens a portal to a world of giants. Tucci plays Lord Roderick, the King's advisor who has evil plans of taking over the kingdom.
Big Night (streaming)- This critically acclaimed film, which Tucci directed and starred in, follows the tale of two immigrant brothers' struggles on the New Jersey shore in the 1950s.
And, of course, you can see all these actors in The Hunger Games, which is available via instant streaming (oh, go ahead, watch it over and over, we won't judge). Plus, make sure you check out the thousands of other instant movies available with your free Redbox trial.
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March's blockbuster hit Oz the Great and Powerful proved that audiences are still willing to believe in magic — that enchantment and whimsy are dazzling feats we're all happy to rush to the theaters to witness. But unfortunately for Warner Bros' new release The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, this doesn't exactly seem to be a phenomenon you can always bank on. The opening weekend for Steve Carell's Vegas magician comedy Burt Wonderstone saw a meager $10.3 million intake, against Disney's still-flying-high James Franco fantasy adventure picture's $42.2 million weekend gross (bringing its total earnings to over $145 million).
Additionally, Oz fared particularly well in the realm of IMAX. For its second weekend in theaters, the Disney film only suffered a 49% drop in IMAX ticket sales (far better than average, especially considering Oz's strong opening weekend), earning $4 million this weekend on 308 screens. This brings the film's IMAX total to $14.1 million.
Meanwhile, another newcomer fared a bit better than Wonderstone: Halle Berry's crime thriller The Call, a Sony/Tristar production, took in $17.1 million, exceeding expectations for the underdog picture.
RELATED: 18 Reasons It's Impossible to Root for Burt Wonderstone
With no other new wide releases this weekend, another fantasy adventure Jack the Giant Slayer and screwball comedy Identity Thief followed Wonderstone with $6.2 million and $4.5 million, respectively. Check below for the box office reports, all data courtesy of Hollywood.com Box Office Analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
1. Oz the Great and Powerful: $42,222,000, with $145,026,000 to date
2. The Call: $17,100,000
3. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: $10,305,000
4. Jack the Giant Slayer: $6,220,000, with $53,913,000 to date
5. Identity Thief: $4,518,780, with $123,705,645 to date
Follow Michael Arbeiter on Twitter @MichaelArbeiter
[Photo Credit: Warner Bros.]
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J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of Star Trek managed to wow both Trekkers (don't call them Trekkies!) and those who couldn't tell the difference between a Kirk or a Picard. The ignited fandom turned the movie into a major box office success, and now all eyes are on the film's followup, Star Trek Into Darkness.
Unsatisfied with playing host to just a highly anticipated blockbuster, Paramount has opted to kick Star Trek 2 into warp speed and send it straight to "event film" territory. In a press release, the studio announced that the first nine minutes of Abrams' sci-fi adventure would play in IMAX 3D starting Dec. 14, before screenings of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Abrams shot portions of the sequel with IMAX cameras, allowing the film to take full advantage of the big screen format, unlike many of the converted films seen throughout the year. Star Trek Into Darkness follows in the tracks of other films with sequences shot natively in IMAX, including 2010's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and The Dark Knight Rises. Promoting the IMAX brand helped both films find bigger success than they might have in simply riding their established franchise's — Ghost Protocol hooked audiences by opening a week earlier in IMAX, leading to a gross of $694 million worldwide, while Chistopher Nolan's Dark Knight Rises previewed IMAX before Ghost Protocol (sparking interest and earning it over $1 billion worldwide). Star Trek Into Darkness hopes to capture that same early momentum.
Stark Trek Into Darkness reunites most of the original cast, including Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, and John Cho, and adds Benedict Cumberbatch as the still mysterious adversary of the U.S.S. Enterprise crew. The film soars into theaters May 17, 2013.
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
[Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures]
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David Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas consists of six stories set in various periods between 1850 and a time far into Earth's post-apocalyptic future. Each segment lives on its own the previous first person account picked up and read by a character in its successor creating connective tissue between each moment in time. The various stories remain intact for Tom Tykwer's (Run Lola Run) Lana Wachowski's and Andy Wachowski's (The Matrix) film adaptation which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The massive change comes from the interweaving of the book's parts into one three-hour saga — a move that elevates the material and transforms Cloud Atlas in to a work of epic proportions.
Don't be turned off by the runtime — Cloud Atlas moves at lightning pace as it cuts back and forth between its various threads: an American notary sailing the Pacific; a budding musician tasked with transcribing the hummings of an accomplished 1930's composer; a '70s-era investigatory journalist who uncovers a nefarious plot tied to the local nuclear power plant; a book publisher in 2012 who goes on the run from gangsters only to be incarcerated in a nursing home; Sonmi~451 a clone in Neo Seoul who takes on the oppressive government that enslaves her; and a primitive human from the future who teams with one of the few remaining technologically-advanced Earthlings in order to survive. Dense but so was the unfamiliar world of The Matrix. Cloud Atlas has more moving parts than the Wachowskis' seminal sci-fi flick but with additional ambition to boot. Every second is a sight to behold.
The members of the directing trio are known for their visual prowess but Cloud Atlas is a movie about juxtaposition. The art of editing is normally a seamless one — unless someone is really into the craft the cutting of a film is rarely a post-viewing talking point — but Cloud Atlas turns the editor into one of the cast members an obvious player who ties the film together with brilliant cross-cutting and overlapping dialogue. Timothy Cavendish the elderly publisher could be musing on his need to escape and the film will wander to the events of Sonmi~451 or the tortured music apprentice Robert Frobisher also feeling the impulse to run. The details of each world seep into one another but the real joy comes from watching each carefully selected scene fall into place. You never feel lost in Cloud Atlas even when Tykwer and the Wachowskis have infused three action sequences — a gritty car chase in the '70s a kinetic chase through Neo Seoul and a foot race through the forests of future millennia — into one extended set piece. This is a unified film with distinct parts echoing the themes of human interconnectivity.
The biggest treat is watching Cloud Atlas' ensemble tackle the diverse array of characters sprinkled into the stories. No film in recent memory has afforded a cast this type of opportunity yet another form of juxtaposition that wows. Within a few seconds Tom Hanks will go from near-neanderthal to British gangster to wily 19th century doctor. Halle Berry Hugh Grant Jim Sturgess Jim Broadbent Ben Whishaw Hugo Weaving and Susan Sarandon play the same game taking on roles of different sexes races and the like. (Weaving as an evil nurse returning to his Priscilla Queen of the Desert cross-dressing roots is mind-blowing.) The cast's dedication to inhabiting their roles on every level helps us quickly understand the worlds. We know it's Halle Berry behind the fair skinned wife of the lunatic composer but she's never playing Halle Berry. Even when the actors are playing variations on themselves they're glowing with the film's overall epic feel. Jim Broadbent's wickedly funny modern segment a Tykwer creation that packs a particularly German sense of humor is on a smaller scale than the rest of the film but the actor never dials it down. Every story character and scene in Cloud Atlas commits to a style. That diversity keeps the swirling maelstrom of a movie in check.
Cloud Atlas poses big questions without losing track of its human element the characters at the heart of each story. A slower moment or two may have helped the Wachowskis' and Tykwer's film to hit a powerful emotional chord but the finished product still proves mainstream movies can ask questions while laying over explosive action scenes. This year there won't be a bigger movie in terms of scope in terms of ideas and in terms of heart than Cloud Atlas.
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Disney’s acclaimed The Help produced by Dreamworks cleaned up at the box office this weekend with $20.5 million. After debuting in the second spot last weekend the film was number one in the midweek derby as great word-of-mouth continued to sweep the nation as the film ascended to the top of the chart and an impressive $71.8 million by Sunday night.
Fox’s late-summer hit Rise of The Planet of the Apes clung to the top rung at the box office for two consecutive weekends but in its third time out takes second place with $16.3 million for a total through Sunday of $133.8 million.
At number three, Weinstein Co.’s PG-rated Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D was the top family film in the marketplace earning $12 million in its debut. The latest installment of the successful franchise and brainchild of noted R-rated action director Robert Rodriguez and adds the novelty factor of a “fourth” dimension called Aroma-Scope that will enable an interactive scratch and sniff experience for the entire family.
A barbarian named Conan claims the fourth spot with Lionsgate’s remake of the 1982 fantasy epic Conan the Barbarian updating the tale in 3-D and a worthy Jason Momoa in the role that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a movie star. The film delivers the R-rated sword-and-sandal intensity to a new generation of action fans, who gave it an even $10 million this weekend.
Disney’s Fright Night, produced by Dreamworks, is a 3-D enhanced update of the 1985 horror film of the same name that blends elements of horror and comedy in the story of a teenager who suspects his neighbor is a vampire. The film finished its debut weekend in fifth place with $8.3 million. Horrible Bosses Colin Farrell takes on the vampire role, while Anton Yelchin who voices Clumsy in The Smurfs plays the suspicious teen.
Focus Features' romantic drama One Day starring Anne Hathaway opened outside of the top five at number nine with $5.1 million.
A very tough weekend at the box office and the first “down” weekend in over a month as the “dog days of August” unfortunately took hold of a weak late-summer marketplace.
Weekend Box Office Estimates
Top Movies for Weekend of August 19, 2011
Movie Weekend Gross Total to Date
1 The Help (PG13) $20.5M $71.8M
2 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (PG13) $16.3M $133.8M
3 Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (PG) $12.0M $12.0M
4 Conan the Barbarian (R) $10.0M $10.0M
5 Fright Night (R) $8.3M $8.3M

Film buffs, as a general rule, are rather accepting of most movies and the reason for that is obvious: we love movies. Sure, every fan no doubt has their niche that they love the most, but they’ve also got a plucky optimism that finds them willing to watch pretty much any kind of film with an open mind. There are only a small handful of films that almost universally bring out the snark and cynicism before anyone’s even seen them. This dreaded group consists of grating Friedberg and Seltzer spoofs, middle-aged Adam Sandler comedies and remakes.
And while I can easily get behind throwing the first two on a pyre and never looking back, I’ve got to stand up for remakes.
Yes, there are a lot of terrible, misguided remakes of horror, sci-fi and fantasy films that we all grew up with and hold in high regard, but they’re not vile enough to warrant all remakes be written off right out of the gate, and yet that’s what consistently happens. Take the two R-rated remakes coming out this weekend, Fright Night and Conan the Barbarian, for example. When it was announced Conan was being remade and that Jason Momoa, who at the time wasn’t known for playing Khal Drogo on HBO’s Game of Thrones, would be wearing the loin cloth once worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger (not the actual cloth, that would be gross), fans of the ‘80s flick got out the pitch forks. The reason? Momoa looks like a skinny jeans hipster compared to colossal, improbable mass that was ‘80s Schwarzenegger.
It really wasn’t any more complicated than that. Nevermind that he is closer to Robert E. Howard’s original character design, he doesn’t look like their memory of Conan, so the movie was preemptively declared “stupid” and “pointless” and “Oh my God, not another remake! Doesn’t Hollywood have any original ideas?”
Fright Night’s production didn’t have quite the vocal write off that Conan’s did, but that’s only because it’s Fright Night. Tom Holland’s original 1985 film about a kid who discovers his neighbor is a vampire may be a known quantity and have some name value, but it’s not nearly as widely loved as many of the originals remade over the last decade. It seemed it was being remade not because there was an audience that would latch onto the title Fright Night the way they would Dawn of the Dead or Friday the 13th, but because vampires are in right now and that’s good enough. So while the Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell-led film may not have been preemptively hated purely because it was a remake, there really wasn’t a whole lot of anticipation for it, either.
The point of all this isn’t to convince you to reward either of these films this weekend by handing over your hard earned money (though Fright Night is definitely worth it), but to wonder why remakes are still such a dirty word in the year 2011. How many good remakes is it going to take before people cool it on the snark and cross “Die, Remakes, Die” off of their agenda book? Every time a good remake comes around, no matter how good it is, there always seems to be an asterisk next to it. Let Me In can’t just be a good movie, it has to be good, for a remake. The Hills Have Eyes can’t be badass, it has to be badass, for, ya’ know, a remake.
At what point can we stop assuming that all genre remakes are the product of some Hollywood conspiracy to capitalize on nostalgia and trick us out of our money? Yes, I too would much rather see studios giving multi-million dollar budgets to original scripts, but that’s not the way the business works. Remakes aren’t a new thing, they’ve been around longer than you and I have been alive. They’re not going anywhere.
Actually, scratch that. Remakes aren’t even something you need to just deal with. I’ll actually go out on a limb and say that there are enough remakes that are better than their original films that you shouldn’t just tolerate remakes, you should get excited about them. Fright Night may be the latest film to trump its predecessor, but it’s hardly the first and it will hardly be the last. But why does it even matter if a remake is better than the original, anyway? Are they locked in some kind of existential, gladiatorial Thunderdome in which only one can survive? What’s wrong with liking an original and its remake?
It’s time we got rid of the asterisk. Some of these movies aren’t “good, for a remake,” they’re just plain good.

There are 115 films selected for this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Even the most die-hard film buff couldn’t see each one that Park City, Utah has to offer but luckily we have selected the few that look most promising based solely on their loglines, cast, etc. (for a full list of competing films go here, for a full list of non-competing films here). Check out our top picks below!
Cedar Rapids (Director: Miguel Arteta; Screenwriter: Phil Johnston) —A wholesome and naive small-town Wisconsin man travels to big city Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. Cast: Ed Helms, John C Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alia Shawkat, Sigourney Weaver.
Ed Helms helped write the movie. That alone should sell the film to you.
The Details (Director and screenwriter: Jacob Aaron Estes) —When hungry raccoons discover worms living under the sod in a young couple’s backyard, the pest problem sets off a wild and absurd chain reaction of domestic tension, infidelity, organ donation and murder by way of bow and arrow.Cast: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert. A movie with raccoons, infidelity, Elizabeth Banks, and a death by bow and arrow? Sold.
Life in a Day (Director: Kevin Macdonald) —Life in a Day is a historic global experiment to create the world’s largest user-generated feature film. On July 24, 2010, professional and amateur filmmakers captured a glimpse of their lives on camera and uploaded the footage to YouTube, serving as a time capsule for future generations. While the film may be boring, the fact that they did this makes the film worth watching.
The Music Never Stopped (Director: Jim Kohlberg; Screenwriters: Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks, based on the story “The Last Hippie” by Oliver Sacks) — A father struggles to bond with his estranged son who suffers a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. He learns to embrace his son’s choices and to try to connect with him through the power of music. Cast: J.K. Simmons, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mia Maestro. While this sounds a little too sad for my tastes, J.K. Simmons is the man. He alone could get me into any movie so I guess I’ll stick it out for this one.
My Idiot Brother (Director: Jesse Peretz; Screenwriters: Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall) — After serving time for selling pot, Ned successively moves in with each of his three sisters as he tries to get back on his feet. His best intentions quickly bring the family to the cusp of chaos and ultimately the brink of clarity. Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer. If the cast alone isn’t working for you, Zooey Deschanel plays a lesbian with Rashida Jones. Don’t forget to breathe.
Perfect Sense (Director: David Mackenzie; Screenwriter: Kim Fupz Aakeson) —A poetic and magnetic love story about two people who start to fall in love just as the world begins to fall apart. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Ewen Bremner, Stephen Dillane, Denis Lawson and Connie Nielsen. I only included this one for its ridiculous logline.
Red State (Director and screenwriter: Kevin Smith) — A group of misfits encounter extreme fundamentalism in Middle America. Cast: Michael Parks, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo. Let’s see how well Kevin Smith handles the horror genre. He’s been talking about this one for years, time for him to put up or shut up. Though something tells me that won’t happen any time soon.
Salvation Boulevard (Director: George Ratliff; Screenwriters: Doug Max Stone and George Ratliff, based on the novel by Larry Beinhart) —An evangelical preacher who has captivated a city with his charm frames an ex-hippie for a crime he did not commit. Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei. There is something alluring about the prospect of a preacher framing someone for something they didn’t do. Add this cast in and we’re definitely excited.
The Son of No One (Director and screenwriter: Dito Montiel) —Two men in post-9/11 New York are forced to relive two murders they committed as young boys. Their lives start to unravel by the threat of the revelation of these shocking and personal secrets. Cast: Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Ray Liotta, Juliette Binoche. The closing night film doesn’t sound too interesting except that it has Tracy Morgan. Color me intrigued and let me stroke my long and gorgeous goatee.
Bobby Fischer Against the World (Director: Liz Garbus) — The drama of late chess-master Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable,as he careened from troubled childhood, to World Champion and Cold War icon, to a fugitive on the run. Bobby Fishcer is one of the most fascinating people to ever become a grand champion of chess. His story has been told before but personally I don’t think one more will hurt.
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (Director: Morgan Spurlock) — A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement is financed and made possible by branding, advertising and product placement. A film buff endorsing a movie from one of the best documentarians working in his new film about the film business? You must be crazy.
Bellflower (Director and screenwriter: Evan Glodell) — A ballad for every person who has ever loved and lost – with enough violence, weapons, action and sex to tell a love story with apocalyptic stakes. Cast: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes. Case in point of a second half of a sentence completely saving the sentence from the first half.
Lord Byron (Director: Zack Godshall; Screenwriters: Zack Godshall and Ross Brupbacher) — When he's not pursuing women, Byron is smoking weed and loafing around. But he's grown restless in his middle-age and feels the need to escape – he just doesn't know where to go. Cast: Paul Batiste, Gwendolyn Spradling, Kayla Lemaire. We’re definitely not wanting to see this looking for advice. Definitely not.
The Off Hours (Director and screenwriter: Megan Griffiths) — A passing truck driver brings an unfamiliar sense of optimism to a woman working the night shift at a quiet diner, reminding her it's never too late to become the person you always wanted to be. Cast: Amy Seimetz, Ross Partridge, Scoot McNairy, Lynn Shelton, Bret Roberts, Tony Doupe. I love truck drivers. I’m pretty sure I still want to be one. If this doesn’t have a killer country soundtrack I want my money back (which is whopping zero dollars, but whatever).
to.get.her (Director and screenwriter: Erica Dunton) — Five girls come together for one fateful night where anything goes. They all had secrets, but their friendship was the only thing they knew to be true. Cast: Jazzy De Lisser, Chelsea Logan, Adwoa Aboah, Jami Eaton, Audrey Speicher. BLUGH.
Kaboom (Director and screenwriter: Gregg Araki)— A science fiction story centered on the sexual awakening of a group of college students. Cast: Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple. A science fiction film about sexual awakening? I’m there.
Meek’s Cutoff (Director: Kelly Reichardt; Screenwriter: Jon Raymond) — In 1845, three families who have hired mountaineer Stephen Meek to guide their wagons over the Cascade Mountains get lost and face hunger, thirst and a lack of faith in their instincts for survival. Cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Zoe Kaza, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson. So this is basically a period piece of Alive with two of the best actors around. Done.
Submarine (Director: Richard Ayoade; Screenwriter: Richard Ayoade from the novel by Joe Dunthorne) — Fifteen-year-old Oliver Tate has two big ambitions: to save his parents' marriage and to lose his virginity before his next birthday. Cast: Craig Roberts, Paddy Considine, Sally Hawkins, Yasmin Paige. This film had a big showing at this years Toronto Film Festival. I just want to see it already!
Uncle Kent (Director: Joe Swanberg; Screenwriters: Joe Swanberg and Kent Osborne) — A pothead cartoonist in Los Angeles spends a weekend trying to sleep with his visiting house guest – a woman from New York he met on Chatroulette. Cast: Kent Osborne. While the premise sounds awesome, basing around the already past its prime fad Chatroulette seems like a wrong move.
Hobo with A Shotgun (Director: Jason Eisener; Screenwriter: Johnathan Davies) — A hobo hops from a train with dreams of a fresh life in a new city, but instead finds himself trapped in an urban hell. When he witnesses a brutal robbery, he realizes the only way to deliver justice is with a shotgun in his hands and two shells in the chamber. Cast: Rutger Hauer, Molly Dunsworth, Gregory Smith, Brian Downey. Looks like we found the winner for Best Title.
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (Director and screenwriter: Madeleine Olnek) — A shy greeting card store employee unknowingly falls for a lesbian space alien while two government agents closely track their romance. Cast: Lisa Haas, Susan Ziegler, Jackie Monahan, Cynthia Kaplan, Dennis Davis, Alex Karpovsky, Rae C Wright. Just kidding about the best title thing from above. This is the clear winner.
Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren) (Director: Andre Ovredal) — A group of student filmmakers get more than they bargained for when tangling with a man tasked with protecting Norway from giant trolls. Cast: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Hans Morten Hansen, Johanna Mørch, Tomas Alf Larsen. Norwegian giant trolls, what more could you ask for?
Corman’s World: Exploits Of A Hollywood Rebel (Director: Alex Stapleton) — Tracks the triumphant rise of Hollywood’s most prolific writer-director-producer, the true godfather of independent filmmaking. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, James Cameron, Roger Corman. Just look at who all is involved and tell why you wouldn’t watch this? Now shut up and learn something.
Jess + Moss (Director: Clay Jeter; Screenwriters: Clay Jeter and Debra Jeter) — Without immediate families that they can relate to, and lacking friends their own age, second cousins Jess and Moss only have each other. A series of visceral vignettes conjure memories of companionship and sexual awakening during a summer shared together on their Kentucky farm. Cast: Sarah Hagan, Austin Vickers. So it’s like George Michael and Maebe make a movie? Whatever, I’ll watch.
The Nine Muses (Director and screenwriter: John Akomfrah) — An allegorical fable divided into overlapping musical chapters, this film retells the history of mass migration to post-war Britain through the suggestive lens of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. And the Most Pretentious Sounding Film award goes to The Nine Muses. Thanks for playing.
Benavides Born (Director: Amy Wendel; Screenwriters: Daniel Meisel and Amy Wendel) — A high school senior in a forgotten town has earned admission to the University of Texas at Austin but can't afford to go. Her one shot is a scholarship for winning the State Powerlifting Championship. Cast: Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Joseph Julian Soria, Julia Vera, Julio César Cedillo. Female Powerlifting hasn’t exactly gotten the best films attached to it. I hope this film changes that.
Homework (Director and screenwriter: Gavin Wiesen) — Quirky, rebellious George has no ambitions other than to cut his next class. But one day, one girl gives him the perfect reason to figure out who he really is. Cast: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser with Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood. This sounds stupid but Emma Roberts is kind of cute, so who knows.
The Ledge (Director and screenwriter: Matthew Chapman) — Perched on a ledge, a man says he must jump by noon, while a cop races against time to get to the bottom of it. Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Terrence Howard with Christopher Gorham. Early reviews of this film say its really good. So I’ll go along for now.
Like Crazy (Director: Drake Doremus; Screenwriters: Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones) — A young American guy and a young British girl meet in college and fall in love. Their love is tested when she is required to leave the country and they must face the challenges of a long-distance relationship. Cast: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston. UGH... wait, it’s Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence? Never mind, this is going to be awesome.
Take Shelter (Director and screenwriter: Jeff Nichols) — A working-class husband and father questions whether his terrifying dreams of an apocalyptic storm signal something real to come or the onset of an inherited mental illness he's feared his whole life. Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker. This looks super serious, and that’s great, but I really just want to see Katy Mixon.
Terri (Director: Azazel Jacobs; Screenwriters: Patrick Dewitt and Azazel Jacobs) — Orphaned to an uncle who is fading away, mercilessly teased by his peers and roundly ignored by his teachers, Terri is alienated and alone. When the dreaded vice-principal sees something of himself in Terri, they establish a friendship which opens Terri up to the possibility that life is not something to be endured, but something to be shared, and even enjoyed. Cast: Jacob Wysocki, John C. Reilly, Creed Bratton, Olivia Crocicchia, Bridger Zadina. Ok, I know this film sounds ridiculous, but it has Creed Bratton in it. That’s gotta count for something, right?
The Untitled Sam Levinson Project (Director and screenwriter: Sam Levinson) — A pair of reckless siblings are dragged into a chaotic family wedding by their overwrought mother. Cast: Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth, Jeffrey DeMunn, Ellen Barkin, Ellen Burstyn, Thomas Haden Church. Wedding movies involving dis-functional families are always the best.
BEING ELMO: A Puppeteer’s Journey (Director: Constance Marks) — The Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet – the heart and soul of Elmo – Kevin Clash. A movie about the guy who has his hand up Elmo’s butt all day? Actually, that sounds kind of sweet.
Page One: A year inside the New York Times (Director: Andrew Rossi; Screenwriters: Kate Novack and Andrew Rossi) — Unprecedented access to theNew York Times newsroom yields a complex view of the transformation of a media landscape fraught with both peril and opportunity. Something tells me it will be more than bored journalists checking Twitter all day.
The Redemption of General Butt Naked (Directors: Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion) — A brutal warlord who murdered thousands during Liberia's horrific 14-year civil war renounces his violent past and reinvents himself as an Evangelist, facing those he once terrorized. And the award for logline least like the film the title suggests goes to this film.
Abraxas (Director: Dai Sako; Screenwriters: Dai Sako and Naoki Kato) — After botching a speech on career guidance at a local high school, a depressed Zen monk with a heavy metal past realizes that only music can revive his spirit.Cast: Suneohair, Rie Tomosaka, Manami Honjou, Ryouta Murai, Kaoru Kobayashi.
Zen monks and heavy metal? This nirvana goes to 11.
All Your Dead Ones (Todos Tus Muertos) (Director Carlos Moreno; Screenwriters: Alonso Torres and Carlos Moreno) — One morning, a peasant wakes to find a pile of bodies in the middle of his crops. When he goes to the authorities, he quickly realizes that the dead ones are a problem nobody wants to deal with. Cast: Alvaro Rodríguez, Jorge Herrera, Martha Marquez, Harold Devasten, John Alex Castillo. Sounds gross to find a bunch of dead bodies amongst your crops, but it does sound like a great film.
Happy, Happy (Sykt Lykkelig) (Director: Anne Sewitsky; Screenwriter: Ragnhild Tronvoll) — A perfect housewife, who just happens to be sex-starved, struggles to keep her emotions in check when an attractive family moves in next door. Cast: Agnes Kittelsen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Maibritt Saerens, Joachim Rafaelsen.
You had me at sex-starved Norwegian housewife.
Vampire (Director and screenwriter: Iwai Shunji) — On the surface, Simon seems like a fairly normal, average young man, devoted to his teaching job and ailing mother. Secretly, he is compelled to hunt through online chat rooms and message boards, searching for the perfect girl who will ensure his own survival. Cast: Kevin Zegers, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rachel Leigh Cook, Kristin Kreuk, Aoi Yu and Adelaide Clemens. A Japanese film about creepy guys hunting girls? Surely you jest.
KNUCKLE (Director: Ian Palmer) — An epic 12-year journey into the brutal and secretive world of Irish Traveler bare-knuckle fighting, this film follows a history of violent feuding between rival clans. I hope this film will make me want to break a bottle over my head and throw someone out a pub window.
Project Nim (Director: James Marsh) — From the Oscar-winning team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who was taught to communicate with language as he was raised and nurtured like a human child. I’ve often dreamed of a world where men and monkeys live as one. Also I’ve always wanted to ask a Gorilla if he wanted to play video games with me.
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure (Director:Matthew Bate) — When two friends tape-recorded the fights of their violently noisy neighbors, they accidentally created one of the world's first 'viral' pop-culture sensations. And with a great title and an intriguing logline, this film has me wanting more. Sounds delightful.

George Clooney proves that pushing 50 (and Danny Trejo proves that pushing 70!) is no longer a handicap when it comes to the box office as Focus Features’ “The American” tops Labor Day Weekend and Fox's “Machete” takes second place. Sony’s “Takers” proves the young guys still have some box office muscle too!
After opening on Wednesday with $1.7 million, Focus Features’ “The American” starring George Clooney leads the weekend with $13.1 million for three days, $16.4 million for four days and $19.5 million in its first six days. At 49, Clooney remains one of the most popular actors working today, is a true movie star and audiences young and old love this guy. Adding his visual style to the film is Director Anton Corbijn, a Dutch photographer and director well-known for shooting highly stylized music videos for U2, Depeche Mode, Coldplay and Nirvana.
Now in second place after a third place finish for the three day portion of the weekend, Fox’s “Machete” chops up a $11.4 million three day debut and $14 million for four days. Star Danny Trejo is 66 years-old and still has the street cred, the menacing look and the tattoos to make younger action stars look downright wimpy. With Robert Rodriguez at the helm and an all-star cast, “Machete’s” offbeat style and twisted sense of humor made a strong impact with audiences and a 1% uptick on Sunday proves the point. Fully 60% of the audience for the film was Latino, 45% was under 25 and the movie skewed toward a 55% male audience, but was remarkably strong with women at 45% of the audience demographic.
Now at number three is Sony’s “Takers” with $10.9 million for the three days and $13.5 million for the four day period, a solid 47% second weekend hold and a domestic total to date of $39.95 million. The ensemble cast which includes Paul Walker, Chris Brown and Matt Dillon has continued to deliver the heist movie goods to late-summer audiences looking for some old school action.
Fourth place goes to the devil and Lionsgate’s “The Last Exorcism” which debuted in second place last week and dropped 64% for a $7.4 million second weekend gross for three days and $8.78 million for four days as it passes the $33.5 million mark. With a modest budget and terrific marketing campaign, this is one devil that got his due with audiences.
Finally rounding out the Top Five with just $6.9 million for three days and $8.6 million for the four day frame is Warner Bros. “Going the Distance” which paired the real life couple of Drew Barrymore and Justin Long in a romantic comedy that had a tough time battling possessed girls and gun-wielding dudes at the box office this labor day weekend.
Labor Day signals the end of the summer movie season, and as is typical, none of the movies exactly set the world on fire. The last weekend of the summer ushers in the all-important fall movie-going season and not a moment too soon with a slew of intriguing and eclectic films soon to hit theatres. Warner Bros.’ “The Town” and Sony’s “Easy A” are just two examples of the kind of quality and diversity that is a hallmark of the season.
Weekend Box Office
Top 10 Movies - Labor Day Weekend of September 3, 2010 (4-day Estimates)
Movie Weekend Total
1 The American (R) $16.4 M $19.5 M
2 Machete (R) $14.0 M $14.0 M
3 Takers (PG-13) $13.5 M $40.0 M
4 The Last Exorcism (PG-13 )$8.8 M $33.6 M
5 Going the Distance (R) $8.6 M $8.6 M
6 The Expendables (R) $8.5 M $94.1 M
7 The Other Guys (PG-13) $6.7 M $108.1 M
8 Eat Pray Love (PG-13) $6.3 M $70.4 M
9 Inception (PG-13) $5.9 M $278.4 M
10 Nanny McPhee Returns (PG) $4.7 M $23.5 M

George Clooney proves that pushing 50 (and Danny Trejo proves that pushing 70!) is no longer a handicap when it comes to the box office as Focus Features’ “The American” tops Labor Day Weekend and “Machete” takes third. Sony’s “Takers” proves the young guys still have some box office muscle too!
After opening on Wednesday with $1.7 million, Focus Features’ “The American” starring George Clooney leads the weekend with nearly $13 million. At 49, Clooney remains one of the most popular actors working today, is a true movie star and audiences young and old love this guy. Adding his visual style to the film is Director Anton Corbijn, a Dutch photographer and director well-known for shooting highly stylized music videos for U2, Depeche Mode, Coldplay and Nirvana.
At number two is Sony’s “Takers” with $11.45 million, a solid 44% second weekend hold and a domestic total to date of $37.9 million. The ensemble cast which includes Paul Walker, Chris Brown and Matt Dillon has continued to deliver the heist movie goods to late-summer audiences looking for some old school action.
This leaves third place to Fox’s “Machete” with its $11.3 million debut. Star Danny Trejo is 66 years-old and still has the street cred, the menacing look and the tattoos to make younger action stars look downright wimpy. With Robert Rodriguez at the helm and an all-star cast, “Machete’s” offbeat style and twisted sense of humor may have been an acquired taste for some, but made an impact nonetheless.
Fourth place goes to the devil and Lionsgate’s “The Last Exorcism” which debuted in second place last week and dropped 63% for a $7.55 million second weekend gross as it passes the $32 million mark. With a modest budget and terrific marketing campaign, this is one devil that got his due with audiences.
Finally rounding out the Top Five with just $6.88 million is Warner Bros. “Going the Distance” which paired the real life couple of Drew Barrymore and Justin Long in a romantic comedy that had a tough time battling possessed girls and gun-wielding dudes at the box office this labor day weekend.
Labor Day signals the end of the summer movie season, and as is typical, none of the movies exactly set the world on fire. The last weekend of the summer ushers in the all-important fall movie-going season and not a moment too soon with a slew of intriguing and eclectic films soon to hit theatres. Warner Bros.’ “The Town” and Sony’s “Easy A” are just two examples of the kind of quality and diversity that is a hallmark of the season.
Weekend Box Office
Top 10 Movies - Labor Day Weekend of September 3, 2010 (3-day Estimates)
Movie Weekend Total
1. The American (R)$13.0 M$ 16.1 M
2. Takers (PG-13)$11.5 M $37.9 M
3. Machete (R)$11.3 M $11.3 M
4. The Last Exorcism (PG-13)$7.6 M $33.3 M
5. Going the Distance (R)$6.9 M $6.9 M
6. The Expendables (R)$6.8 M $93.3 M
7. The Other Guys (PG-13)$5.4 M $106.9 M
8. Eat Pray Love (PG-13)$4.9 M $69.0 M
9. Inception (PG-13)$4.5 M $277.1 M
10. Nanny McPhee Returns (PG)$3.6 M $22.4 M